Pottstown man runs regularly ... for president

In all honesty, Thomas Winterbottom doesn't even really want to be president of the United States.

But that hasn't stopped the 60-year-old Winterbottom of Pottstown from tossing his hat into the ring four times over the past two decades, including in the 2020 election.

You see, for Winterbottom, the goal isn't being elected to the highest office in the land. That's something he knows will never happen as long as candidates continue to pour millions of dollars into their campaigns for president.

No, his campaigns aren't about winning. They're about creating a platform for his message.

"I guess I'm too idealistic, but I think campaigns should be about the issues," he said. "I might not have the money to run a national campaign or the celebrity that some candidates have. But I follow the advice of Theodore Roosevelt, who famously said something like you have to do what you can with what you have right now."

And that is exactly why Winterbottom is running for president.

But he isn't alone in his presidential bid. Not by a long shot.

He's actually entered a crowded field, with 447 people across the country having declared their intent to run as of the writing of this article.

While it might seem a little crazy, running for president of the United States is actually as easy as filling out a little paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.

Still, some dollars are needed

Formally registering requires only two forms. And once they're processed with the commission, you're on the path to becoming a candidate. The harder part, however, is raising enough money to become a legitimate candidate. Only those who have spent or received $5,000 on their campaigns are considered official candidates by the commission.

Winterbottom, who is a Democratic committee chairman in Pottstown, has never reached the official candidate status.

Of course, not all who register to become candidates meet the necessary requirements to be president. The Constitution dictates that to be eligible one must be a natural born citizen, must have been a resident of the U.S. for 14 years and must be at least 35 years old.

Of the 447 individuals who have filed the paperwork announcing their candidacy, 18 are from Pennsylvania.

A recent Washington Post report found that the states that are home to the most declared candidates are those with the largest populations, such as California; that most of the so-far-declared candidates are running as third-party or write-in candidates; and that there are more than twice as many Democrats running as Republicans.

So how many candidates might we end up with? The report states that there were more than 1,700 declared candidates in 2016.

While Winterbottom can speak only for himself, his reasons for running are likely emblematic of those of many who are joining him.

"Politicians aren't going to change this country; there needs to be a cultural change among the people," the Democrat said. "We're way behind the rest of the world in certain standards of living. What is it about our culture that is keeping it this way?"

His philosophy

Winterbottom, who has written 22 books outlining his political philosophy, believes it has a lot to do with how people perceive the role of government. For decades, he said, politicians have tried to reduce the role of government by demonizing the social welfare system.

But the problem, Winterbottom said, is that many who accept this doctrine are the very people who need the government the most.

That's why he is a strong supporter of universal basic income. UBI refers to a range of programs in which members of a community receive a regular sum of money from the government with no strings attached.

Winterbottom joins political scientist Charles Murray and other scholars who have suggested UBI as a way to address the loss of jobs from rapid advances in artificial intelligence as well as the rise of income disparity generally in America. Several cities - including California's Stockton and Santa Monica - are already conducting their own basic income pilots.

"You've got to have a vision of a country where everybody is taken care of to some extent," he said. "A lot of the working people in Europe get behind the intellectuals and support the welfare state. Here, they think it's a handout."

Winterbottom said getting that message out to the public is his main objective, and running for president is one way in which he feels he can do that.

"This is a long-term effort," he said. "And this effort will probably go beyond my lifetime."